Dawn Kissi: Journalist, Producer & Now Entrepreneur With Big Dreams
“I look at both short-term and long-term goals.”
Emerging Market countries contribute a bigger share to global gross domestic product than their developed counterparts, when measured by purchasing power parity. Nearly $10.3 trillion is invested in emerging financial markets through equity and bond indices, according to the Financial Times.
Yet, in the global economic hierarchy, developed markets continue to push emerging nations to the margins. The global media is largely responsible for this imbalance. Ever since emerging markets became a major asset class in the early 1990s, a raft of global media publications did turn their attention to them. They have accounted for, even celebrated, the growth miracle in China, the dazzle of oil wealth in the Middle East, India’s rapid economic strides and Brazil’s booming market, among others. But the focus has hardly been consistent. A flourish of reports is typically seen when anxieties about these markets surface.
Dawn Kissi, a journalist and producer, sensed a huge opportunity here. What if she could place emerging markets at the core of global affairs instead of developed markets?
During the summer of 2015, Dawn set out to create a digital journalism platform focused on emerging markets. She believed that her venture could act as a catalyst for people to reassess their opinion and outlook of these markets through consistent coverage and high quality journalism.
Emerging markets are usually widely discussed when there is a crisis, says Dawn, a first-generation American born and raised in New York City. “For example, we hear about India due to the crisis about demonetization. But the truth is these are velocity markets. They cannot be ignored anymore.”
Emerging Market Media was born out of a strong desire to address this deficit. The venture, primarily a business-to-business entity, focuses on the the world’s emerging and frontier markets. Through events, industry partnerships and producing custom programming and content for brands within financial services, Dawn says her new media startup is aiming to expand globally and establish its footprint as the premier global media firm dedicated to emerging markets.
Dawn began her journalism career in network television and radio. She then moved to print and eventually to digital and multimedia. The eldest of three and the most entrepreneurial in her family, Dawn has covered topics as diverse as fashion, finance and global markets. She earned a Master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2005 and has now returned to academics as a Tow Knight fellow after a decade of reporting and producing all around the world.
“I decided it was time to broaden my digital skills and to learn about the latest and most sustainable trends in journalism,” says Dawn. She is thrilled to have been named a Tow-Knight Fellow.
Dawn describes herself as a curious person who asks a lot of questions (hence journalism being her career!). For her venture, she asks herself on a regular basis what the short-term and long-term goals are. “I might keep it going this way for now, but what about five years down the line or even a decade from now. Where will and should the business be?”
“There will be distractions, but stay focused.”
In her short but thriving journey as an entrepreneur, Dawn has already learned some key lessons. She says it is important to be patient. “Don’t jump at everything.”
There will be distractions, explains Dawn. But it is important to be focused on the mission. “Remind yourself every now and then why you are doing what you are doing.” It is also critical to share ideas and exchange what you are learning along the way, she says.
“Journalism needs to save itself”
As a Tow-Knight Fellow, Dawn is hoping to make an impact not only on her venture but also on the industry. “Journalism needs to save itself.” She says programs such as Tow-Knight are critical, given the changing state of the industry and the challenges gnawing at its foundations. It is also very important to keep people engaged and current. Engaged not just on the academic side, but also the business side of things.
Referred by two successful Tow-Knight alumni, Dawn says she admires the work program director Jeremy Caplan and the faculty are doing and building upon at the institution.
“Emerging markets are velocity markets”
As for her venture, fortunately a growing number of companies and investors are realizing the potential in emerging markets. Large swaths of the population in several of these markets are under the age of 40. Emerging Market Media is singularly focused on these markets. Dawn says she and her team of seven based between New York City and London are not competing with big media, but looking to do good journalism to serve a specific niche sector. “We are looking to elevate the conversation about emerging markets.”
